Out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of the riders who signed up to participate in the 2018 Maine Lobster Ride on Sunday, July 22, at the Camden Snow Bowl, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine has made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s ride due to the forecast for heavy rain, fog, and thunderstorms.

We were looking forward to ending our participation in the Lobster Ride on a high note, but the safety of the riders is absolutely our highest concern. We realize that the weather forecast may change, but we must base our decision on the facts we have in front of us to give our riders, volunteers, and vendors as much notice as possible.

The National Weather Service in Gray, Maine, has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for the Camden, Maine, area calling for, “heavy rain and thunderstorms on Sunday.” We spoke to the office, and were advised that the severe weather is expected to begin as early as 6 a.m. The first Lobster Riders would depart at 7 a.m. The rain is expected to continue all day, with ¾ to 1 ¼ inch total rainfall expected.

Camden/Rockport Police Chief Randy Gagne called our decision difficult, but said he supports the cancellation, given the forecast. “I fully support the cancellation of the event due to the projected weather forecast … the safety of all riders is the top priority. The potential for accidents would increase with the inclement weather. Visibility would be severely limited for both bicyclists and the motoring public. I fully believe this is the right call.”

We sincerely regret having to take this action, and we greatly appreciate your understanding. Please contact us if you have any questions or would like any additional information about this decision.

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